# Chapter 45
Why is he here? I tried to think it was someone who resembled him, but his appearance made that impossible. Long silver hair waving in the air and golden eyes set in a striking face. He was definitely Zenon.
“From today, I’ll be in charge of security.”
Even his voice was the same. There was no way he wasn’t Zenon. His manner of speech was different from what I knew, but that’s something that could easily be changed. I knew Zenon was a spy, but I never expected to encounter him like this.
“…Pleased to meet you. I’m Kane.”
After barely regaining my composure, I bowed in greeting. Judging from his previous reaction, he didn’t seem to know about the experiments, but could it be that was all an act too?
Not only was I possessing someone’s body, but I was assigned to watch the test subject, and Zenon was my security detail. This felt like a trap. I never wished for such a coincidence.
He was now just a stranger who had nothing to do with me. I had no desire to encounter him in any way.
But since it had already happened, accepting it nonchalantly was the best option for me.
“If security is needed, wouldn’t it be better to move A-11 to a safer place…?”
I asked, shifting my gaze to the researcher while trying my best to ignore Zenon. I spoke to avoid thinking about him, but an unexpected reply followed.
“It’s fine. We’ve had situations like this before, and we handled them well.”
This wasn’t the first time? Given the long-running experiment, outsiders might suspect its unsavory nature. But if there had been direct intruders like me, shouldn’t this experiment have been exposed already?
“But if we stay like this, won’t we be discovered…?”
I carefully began to speak, not understanding the researcher’s relaxed demeanor.
“We won’t be discovered. And even if we are, it doesn’t matter. After all, we’re different from villains who just kill indiscriminately.”
Saying “we won’t be discovered” rather than “we probably won’t be discovered” shows his confidence. Where does such confidence come from? I quietly observed the researcher who smiled confidently while straightening his shoulders. He appeared dignified, as if he had done nothing wrong. I suspected it, but I never thought he would be proud without a trace of guilt.
“…Is that so?”
“Of course. Being able to help many people with a small sacrifice—shouldn’t we be grateful instead?”
Would he say the same if he became one of those sacrifices?
Even as a villain, I knew the weight of my sins well. This is a sin that can never be forgiven, even if I spent a lifetime atoning. Yet there’s someone who doesn’t even realize the weight of his sins.
I never expected to meet someone worse than a villain here. It had been a long time since I felt such a desire to kill someone.
An unpleasant sensation rose from the tips of my toes and began to dominate me. I struggled to suppress the murderous intent that surged in an instant.
Right now, I’m not Kay but Kane. Kane couldn’t possibly kill others. Besides, for a researcher here to oppose Peace would be equivalent to choosing death.
In this situation, anger was of no help to me. As I organized my thoughts step by step, the angry emotions gradually subsided.
“This will truly become a great achievement.”
…However, the murderous intent that I had just calmed began to boil once more at the researcher’s next words. If only he would keep his mouth shut. Perhaps because he was still fine, he had a remarkably free-speaking mouth. Just as I was unconsciously glaring at the researcher’s behavior that I couldn’t view favorably—
“Hey, aren’t you coming?”
Someone addressed me. Zenon, who had been leaning against the wall until just now, grabbed my wrist and led me away.
As my body stiffened at his suddenly shortened speech, devoid of honorifics, Zenon applied pressure to the hand holding my wrist, urging me to come out quickly. I hastily moved my feet in response to this forceful action.
“…Then I’ll be going now.”
“Alright, it’s nothing serious, so work as usual.”
Only when the researcher, whom I thought would stop us, let us go safely did Zenon release the hand he had been holding. Then he began to distance himself just like before.
Could it be that he did that on purpose? Thanks to Zenon calling out to me and pulling me out, I was able to quickly escape an uncomfortable situation. But it should have been irrelevant to him.
“Thank you for helping me…”
Regardless of his intent, I should express gratitude for the help I received. I followed Zenon and bowed to him.
“You, I haven’t seen your face before.”
However, instead of responding, he changed the subject. A sharp gaze was fixed on me. Is this Zenon’s true personality? The stiff, thorny manner of speech feels disconnected from the Zenon I knew. He had hidden this manner of speech well all this time.
“I’ve only been employed for half a year…”
“Half a year already.”
“Pardon?”
“Around here, that’s already half a year. Especially for someone like you.”
As I answered obediently, Zenon immediately contradicted my words. It was a resolute statement, as if he understood everything about this place. So he did know everything. If not, he wouldn’t have said this.
To think all of this was an act—I don’t know what to say. I have a lot I want to say, but none of it can be spoken.
“Why is that?”
In the end, this was all I could manage to say. To think I was played in the palm of his hand. I felt foolish for never having doubted him.
“Everyone else goes crazy or runs away before that. Some people remain, but can you call them people? They’re monsters.”
Unaware of my feelings, Zenon sneered. His appearance seemed to genuinely despise people who had become monsters. It shouldn’t be possible, which made it strange. Zenon the spy was originally a person from Peace.
If so, shouldn’t he naturally approve of this experiment? Yet he showed the complete opposite reaction. I couldn’t understand what Zenon was thinking. He was exhibiting behavior that didn’t make sense for a spy.
“…Then am I a monster too?”
“If you were, I wouldn’t have spoken to you.”
Though he’s clearly an enemy, I don’t feel hostility due to his attitude. I felt betrayed, but I couldn’t think of wanting to kill Zenon or seeking revenge.
Even I thought I was foolish. Despite being played exactly as he wanted, I did nothing. Was it because I trusted Zenon that much? Or because that trust still hasn’t been broken? He should now be irrelevant to me.
During this brief time, my emotions keep changing. If he were a complete stranger, I shouldn’t have any thoughts. But no matter how much I resolve to be Kane, I can’t completely discard the past when I was Kay. In the end, I couldn’t think of Zenon as a stranger right now.
To Zenon, who doesn’t know that Kane is Kay, I’m just a researcher he met for the first time today. Therefore, the memories I have of him are meaningless and worthless.
Yet not only can’t I forget, but the image of Zenon as an executive of Alice remains more strongly in my memory than Zenon the betrayer. Because of that, I couldn’t even hate someone I should hate.
Normally, I should twist that thin neck and tear it apart beyond recognition. Isn’t Zenon the very person who drove me to death that day? If it hadn’t been for him, the operation would have ended successfully.
But even with that thought, I felt betrayed but nothing more. Like waves subsiding in an instant, the rising anger dissipated. It means I thought of him as that important.
“Is this it?”
I suddenly raised my head, which had been staring at the floor, at Zenon’s voice bringing me back to reality. For a moment, his gaze met mine. I hurriedly avoided his eyes and turned my head.
“Uh… yes.”
The place where the test subject was kept was A-11, just like before. This part revealed Peace’s confidence in being able to completely conceal it.
“It’s like a fortress.”
But since preparations had to be made for intrusions, the room was covered with thick iron doors. I nodded at Zenon’s words and opened the door.
When I opened the door, an unfamiliar yet familiar interior welcomed me. The ventilation duct I had escaped through had been repaired, becoming a small passage that barely a cat could enter.
Thinking about it this way, it seems like I’ve been dead for quite some time, but not even a month has passed yet. Death had been just one step ahead of me. But now it felt comfortably distant.
It’s strange, considering I could return to death at any time. Is it because there’s no clear deadline?
“Good morning.”
But whether I die tomorrow or next year, I had to live as Kane. Erasing the thoughts consuming my mind, I greeted the test subject.
He was not much different from before. His blue eyes were unfocused, as if sunken in the deep sea. Seeing him like this, I felt a slight sense of guilt. After all, I hadn’t been able to rescue him. The test subject mumbled with his small mouth at my words.
“It’s been… a while.”
For a moment, a faint vitality swirled in his eyes. It shouldn’t have been a while. It had only been two days. That wouldn’t usually be considered “a while.”
“Is two days considered a while?”
Zenon seemed to think the same, as he expressed his doubt.
“A while…”
But since the test subject didn’t say anything else, we just moved on.
“Do you hurt anywhere?”
Since medication was administered once a week, today wasn’t an administration day. I opened the documents and began filling in the chart. Although there was some hesitation due to the unfamiliar task, I was able to complete the chart safely.
After briefly finishing the chart, I spoke to the test subject, who was quietly observing Zenon.
“From today, this person will also be with us.”
Since I couldn’t honestly say “he’s a security guard assigned because they’re worried someone might come to rescue you,” I introduced him simply. The test subject would have seen Zenon before, so they weren’t strangers.
Since the test subject had seen that Zenon was a spy, he probably wouldn’t like him, but it’s an unavoidable issue. However, contrary to my expectations, he nodded readily.
“Yes…”
I thought he wouldn’t welcome it, but his attitude was unexpected. Moreover, the emotion in his blue eyes was clearly one of fondness.
